Akio Uchiyama, Yokohama-Shi JP

Akio Uchiyama, Yokohama-Shi JP

Patent application number

Description

Published

20080234546

IN VIVO OBSERVATION DEVICE - This in vivo device is provided with a capsular casing and a foreign object removing device. The capsular casing is taken into a living body. The foreign object removing device removes a foreign object between a surface of a body tissue and the casing.

09-25-2008

20080238869

CAPSULAR MEDICAL APPARATUS - A capsular medical apparatus according to the present invention includes a capsule which can be swallowed or inserted in the body, a recording device which receives living body information transmitted from the capsule and which records the received information, and a display device of the living body information. Further, the capsular medical apparatus includes a USB connector which connects and disconnects the recording device and the display device, a voltage detecting circuit which detects the connection between the recording device and the display device, and a USB cable which transmits the living body information to the display device from the recording device.

10-02-2008

20080242928

IN VIVO OBSERVATION DEVICE - This in vivo observation device is equipped with a capsular casing that is taken orally into the body, and an observation device provided within said casing which observes the inside of the body through an observation wall surface of said casing; and, is provided with a contact auxiliary device that causes the observation wall surface to closely contact to body tissue during observation.

10-02-2008

20080257768

MEDICAL APPARATUS CONTAINING DEVICE, DISCARDING DEVICE AND METHOD OF USE OF MEDICAL APPARATUS - A container case contains a capsule endoscope which incorporates a magnet. A magnetic body is disposed so as to guide, from one magnetic pole to the other magnetic pole, a magnetic field which is generated from the magnet of the capsule endoscope that is accommodated between and positioned by a first hold portion of an outer case and a second hold portion of an inner case which position the capsule endoscope. Thereby, there is provided a capsule medical apparatus containing device which can facilitate handling of a capsule medical apparatus and can enhance the efficiency in storage of the capsule medical apparatus.

10-23-2008

20080281188

DETECTING SYSTEM OF POSITION AND POSTURE OF CAPSULE MEDICAL DEVICE - A detecting system of the position and the posture of a capsule medical device includes a main body of the capsule medical device that is inserted in a living body, a coil in a capsule that is arranged to the main body of the capsule medical device and forms a resonant circuit, a magnetic field generating device that is arranged around the living body and generates the Alternating magnetic field for generating an induced magnetic field in the coil in the capsule, and a plurality of magnetic field detecting devices that detect the strength of the induced magnetic field generated by the coil in the capsule by the magnetic field generated by the magnetic field generating device.

11-13-2008

20080294006

ENCAPSULATED MEDICAL DEVICE GUIDANCE SYSTEM, AND A METHOD OF CONTROLLING THE SAME - An encapsulated medical device guidance system, and a method of controlling the system, in which a magnetic generator acts on a magnet built into a capsulated medical device, and generates a magnetic field for controlling the position and/or posture of the capsulated medical device, and a control unit has a dynamic torque estimation unit to estimate a dynamic torque to be applied to the encapsulated medical device in a target posture, controls a magnetic field generated from the magnetic field generator so that a magnetic torque generated by the magnetic field generator becomes proportional to a dynamic torque estimated by the dynamic torque estimation unit, and controls the posture of a capsule endoscope by considering gravity applied to the capsule endoscope itself.

11-27-2008

20080300459

ENCAPSULATED MEDICAL DEVICE GUIDANCE SYSTEM, AND A METHOD OF CONTROLLING THE SAME - An encapsulated medical device system according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a selector between a receiving device and a plurality of receiving antennas having their respective directionalities. The system selects and disconnects any receiving antenna subjected to the effect of a magnetic field used to guide a capsule endoscope, and captures information about the inside of a body from the appropriate receiving antenna thus selected. The system prevents an overload current caused by induced voltage from being applied to the receiving device. The system includes the function of preventing the overload current, caused by induced voltage arising from a sudden movement of the capsule endoscope or sudden change in magnetic field gradient, from being applied to a transmission circuit of the capsule endoscope and a receiving device.

12-04-2008

20080306340

ENCAPSULATED MEDICAL DEVICE GUIDANCE SYSTEM, AND METHOD OF CONTROLLING THE SAME - An encapsulated medical device guidance system, and a method of controlling the system, in which guidance coils are arranged to divide a magnetic field generating plane into at least two front and rear areas, a magnetic field for canceling gravity applied to a capsule endoscope itself is formed, and superposed on a magnetic field for moving or changing an attitude, a frictional resistance in moving a capsule endoscope is reduced by decreasing an area of an endoscope to contact the surface of an intracavital.

12-11-2008

20090093678

MEDICAL DEVICE GUIDANCE SYSTEM - The medical device guidance system include a magnetic guidance device which generates a guidance field in an arbitrary direction to guide a capsular medical device and carry out movement and posture control, a position detection device which detects the present position by a magnetic field generated by the capsular medical device and a position calculating and correcting section which forms an estimation equation of an undesired magnetic field generated from a guidance coil and subtracts an estimation equation result from the detection result of the magnetic field detecting section, according to the present position of the capsular medical device that controls the position and posture by a guidance field relative to the position detection device, and corrects the present position by excluding a desired magnetic field generated from a guidance coil.

04-09-2009

20090137883

CAPSULE MEDICAL SYSTEM AND BIOLOGICAL INFORMATION ACQUIRING METHOD - A capsule medical system is provided with a capsule medical device to be inserted into a subject, at least one electrode pad having a plurality of receiving electrodes, a receiving electrode switching unit, a control unit for controlling operations of the receiving electrode switching unit, and a position detector. The capsule medical device has a biological information acquiring unit for acquiring biological information of the subject, and a transmitting unit for outputting the biological information from a transmitting electrode through a living body. At least one electrode pad detects the biological information by a plurality of receiving electrodes. The receiving electrode switching unit switches a pair of receiving electrodes among the plurality of receiving electrodes. The position detector detects a position of the capsule medical device inside the subject based on the biological information detected by the electrode pad, and position coordinate data of the plurality of receiving electrodes.

05-28-2009

20090204181

CAPSULE TYPE MEDICAL DEVICE SYSTEM, AND CAPSULE TYPE MEDICAL DEVICE - A capsule type medical device, including: a capsule shaped casing which can be ingested to within the living body; an electrical stimulation device which comprises a plurality of electrodes which are used for applying electrical stimuli to living body tissue; an electrode selection device which selects an electrode from among the plurality of electrodes, to apply an electrical stimulus; a contact detection device which electrically detects the electrode which is in contact with the living body tissue; and a control section which controls the various devices.

08-13-2009

20090237073

POSITION DETECTING SYSTEM - A position detecting system includes a magnetic field generator, a detecting body, a magnetic field detector, a position/direction calculating unit, and a control unit. The magnetic field generator generates a magnetic field in a three-dimensional space. The detecting body is put into the three-dimensional space, and includes a resonance circuit for generating a resonance magnetic field. The position/direction calculating unit calculates a position/direction of the detecting body. If the resonance circuit is in the non-resonant state, the magnetic field detector detects an environmental magnetic field, and the control unit updates detection data of the environmental magnetic field. If the resonance circuit is in the resonant state, the magnetic field detector detects the spatial magnetic field in the three-dimensional space. The position/direction calculating unit executes processing using the detection data of the spatial magnetic field and updated detection data of the environmental magnetic field.

09-24-2009

20090299142

OPERATING DEVICE, MONITOR DEVICE, AND CAPSULE GUIDING SYSTEM - An operating device operates a capsule endoscope with 6 degrees-of-freedom motion by using a magnetic field generator with respect to the capsule endoscope inserted into the subject. The operating device includes an operating unit including a fixed unit and a movable unit, and a force sensor incorporated in the operating unit. The operating unit has a three-dimensional shape substantially identical to the capsule endoscope and is a holdable size. The force sensor detects force information of the movable unit when the movable unit of the operating unit is operated once or continuously. The force information detected by the force sensor is output as instruction information for instructing 6 degrees-of-freedom motion of the capsule endoscope.

12-03-2009

20100030021

Image Display Apparatus, Endoscope System Using the Same, and Image Display Method - An image display apparatus according to the present invention includes: a storage unit which stores an image group including a same number of first and second images which have a coincident positional relationship with respect to a subject and are respectively obtained through different image processes; a display unit which displays at least the first image in a display area; an input unit which indicates a display switching area of the first image displayed in the display area; and a display controller which controls the display unit to keep displaying the first image in an image part outside the display switching area and to switch an image part inside the display switching area of the first image to an image part, having a coincident positional relationship with the image part inside the display switching area of the first image with respect to the subject, of the second image.

02-04-2010

20100030026

MEDICAL APPARATUS GUIDING SYSTEM - A medical apparatus main body such as a capsule main body inserted in the body cavity includes a thrust generating mechanism such as a spiral projection. The medical apparatus main body further forms an information providing unit comprising at least one of a storing unit for storing a state of the thrust generating mechanism and a direction detecting unit for detecting the direction of the medical apparatus main body. An input unit instructs a thrust generating direction of the thrust generating mechanism and thus a control unit changes continuously or the like a thrust generating state of the thrust generating mechanism based on information from the information providing unit.

02-04-2010

20100076263

ENDOSCOPE SYSTEM, IMAGE PICKUP SYSTEM AND IMAGE PROCESSING APPARATUS - An endoscope system includes: an endoscope for picking up an image in a body cavity by an image pickup apparatus provided in a distal end of an insertion portion; a position detecting apparatus for detecting, based on luminal information acquired by the image pickup apparatus, position information used for inserting the distal end of the insertion portion; a recording apparatus for recording, in a time-sequential manner, the position information detected by the position detecting apparatus; a determining apparatus for determining whether or not the detecting operation of the position information performed by the position detecting apparatus satisfies a set condition; and a direction calculating apparatus for, when the determination result shows that the set condition is not satisfied, reading out the position information recorded in the recording apparatus and outputting information on a direction in which the distal end of the insertion portion is to be inserted.

03-25-2010

20100137708

INTRA-SUBJECT POSITION DETECTION SYSTEM AND INTRA-SUBJECT POSITION DETECTION METHOD - From among plural receiver electrodes for receiving a transmission signal transmitted from transmitter electrodes of an intra-subject introduction device, receiver electrodes for receiving an image reception signal are selected by a receiver electrode selection circuit. Further, receiver electrodes for receiving a signal for position detection are selected by a receiver electrode selection circuit, from among the other ones of the plural receiver electrodes than the receiver electrodes selected by the receiver electrode selection circuit.

06-03-2010

20100156399

POSITION DETECTING DEVICE, MEDICAL DEVICE GUIDANCE SYSTEM, POSITION DETECTING METHOD, AND MEDICAL DEVICE GUIDING METHOD - A position detecting device includes a detected object that includes a circuit with an internal coil; a magnetic-field generator that includes a magnetic-field generating coil for generating a magnetic field with respect to a detection space of the detected object; detection coils that detect an induced magnetic field generated from the internal coil caused by the magnetic field; a magnetic-field-generating-coil switching unit that selects a magnetic-field generating coil from the magnetic-field generating coils in the magnetic-field generator; a storage unit that stores predetermined information for selecting a magnetic-field generating coil from the magnetic-field generating coils in the magnetic-field generator; and a control unit that controls the magnetic-field-generating-coil switching unit to select the magnetic-field generating coil to be operated among the magnetic-field generating coils in the first magnetic-field generator, based on at least one of a position and a direction of the detected object and based on the predetermined information.

06-24-2010

20100168516

CAPSULE GUIDING SYSTEM AND CAPSULE GUIDING METHOD - A capsule guiding system includes a capsule medical device having an imaging device that takes an in-vivo image of a subject and a magnet with a magnetization direction that is relatively fixed with respect to the imaging device; a magnetic guiding device that applies a magnetic field to the magnet in the subject and guides the capsule medical device; a display unit that displays the in-vivo image of the subject; and a control unit that causes the magnetic guiding device to apply a magnetic field in a reference direction to the magnet, initializes a rotation angle of an image taken by the imaging device when the magnetization direction of the magnet is oriented to the reference direction following the magnetic field in the reference direction, performs, referring to the image, rotation correction on subsequent in-vivo images, and causes the display unit to sequentially display the corrected in-vivo images.

07-01-2010

20100174142

MEDICAL DEVICE GUIDANCE SYSTEM - The present invention realizes a medical device guidance system capable of improving propulsion control characteristic. The capsule guidance system

07-08-2010

20100179381

BODY-INSERTABLE APPARATUS SYSTEM - A body-insertable apparatus system has a body insertable apparatus that is inserted into a subject and a control apparatus. The body-insertable apparatus includes a magnetic responding unit that is provided within a casing forming the body-insertable apparatus and has a magnetization direction; and a needle that is protruded and retracted with respect to a surface of the casing. The control apparatus includes a magnetic field generator that generates a magnetic field; and a control unit that causes the magnetic field generator to generate a magnetic field for changing an orientation of the magnetic responding unit based on the magnetization direction of the magnetic responding unit in the body-insertable apparatus, a position of the needle in the body-insertable apparatus, and a distal end direction of the needle, thereby changing an orientation of the entire body-insertable apparatus to enable the protruded needle to puncture a puncture target layer.

07-15-2010

20100179782

POSITION DETECTING DEVICE - A position detecting device includes a position calculator that performs an optimization convergence calculation using an evaluation function that expresses an error between a measurement value and a theoretical value of magnetic field information of a detection target to calculate at least a position of the detection target; a storage unit that stores a final convergence result of the optimization convergence calculation performed by the position calculator; and a controller that determines whether a result of the optimization convergence calculation converges, suspends the optimization convergence calculation performed by the position calculator when the result does not converge, and performs, after a predetermined time has passed, a returning process of returning a state of the optimization convergence calculation to a converged state by causing the position calculator to perform the optimization convergence calculation based on the final convergence result.

07-15-2010

20100204566

MEDICAL DEVICE GUIDING SYSTEM, MEDICAL DEVICE GUIDING METHOD, AND METHOD FOR CREATING LOOK-UP TABLE TO BE USED IN MEDICAL DEVICE GUIDING SYSTEM - The accurate position detection without being affected by an unnecessary second magnetic field can be realized by calculating the unnecessary second magnetic field induced and generated at positions of magnetic field sensors by a guiding coil arranged around the position detection area of the medical device due to an action of a first magnetic field generated by a magnetic field generator, at the time of position detection, and the second magnetic field is subtracted from the first magnetic field detected by the magnetic field sensors to calculate corrected magnetic-field information. Further, LUTs that store beforehand numerical information having a correlation with the second magnetic field induced and generated at the positions of magnetic field sensors are used to calculate the second magnetic field, thereby enabling to reduce an amount of calculation performed each time and realize high speed processing.

08-12-2010

20110054307

MEDICAL APPARATUS CONTAINING DEVICE, DISCARDING DEVICE AND METHOD OF USE OF MEDICAL APPARATUS - A container case contains a capsule endoscope which incorporates a magnet. A magnetic body is disposed so as to guide, from one magnetic pole to the other magnetic pole, a magnetic field which is generated from the magnet of the capsule endoscope that is accommodated between and positioned by a first hold portion of an outer case and a second hold portion of an inner case which position the capsule endoscope. Thereby, there is provided a capsule medical apparatus containing device which can facilitate handling of a capsule medical apparatus and can enhance the efficiency in storage of the capsule medical apparatus.

03-03-2011

20110213203

IN-VIVO IMAGING SYSTEM AND BODY-INSERTABLE APPARATUS - A body-insertable apparatus includes a light-receiving unit that includes light-receiving elements each having a receiving wavelength spectrum; light-emitting units including a near ultraviolet light source whose peak of the emission intensity is near ultraviolet light with a wavelength deviated, from a receiving wavelength spectrum associated with the receiving wavelength spectrum, by a predetermined wavelength and including a yellow light source whose peak of the emission intensity is yellow; a selection unit that can select, from among the light-emitting units, light-emitting units corresponding respectively to the near ultraviolet and the yellow light sources; an image creating unit creating a normal-light image in accordance with a combined flat-shaped wavelength spectrum combined using the light-receiving unit or creating a special-light image in accordance with a combined sharp wavelength spectrum combined using a pixel that receives blue-color-component light of the light-receiving unit and a pixel that receives green-color-component light of the light-receiving unit, the light being obtained at the emission of light when the near ultraviolet light source and the yellow light source are selected using the selection unit; a transmitting unit transmitting the normal-light image or the created special-light image; and a control unit controlling driving of the light-receiving elements in accordance with selection performed by the selection unit.

09-01-2011

20110213205

CAPSULE GUIDANCE SYSTEM - A capsule guidance system includes a plurality of electrode pads that are disposed on a body surface of a subject in which a capsule medical device that performs human body communication is inserted into an organ; a magnetic guidance unit applies a magnetic field to the capsule medical device to guide the capsule medical device; an eliminating unit that eliminates signal components of eddy current generated in the subject by a change of the magnetic field from electrical signals detected by the plurality of electrode pads; and a position calculation unit that calculates the position of the capsule medical device based on the electrical signals from the capsule medical device, the electrical signals being the signals from which the signal components of the eddy current are eliminated by the eliminating unit.

09-01-2011

20110218398

IMAGE PROCESSING SYSTEM, IMAGING DEVICE, RECEIVING DEVICE AND IMAGE DISPLAY DEVICE - An image processing system includes an image generation unit that has two observation modes of a first observation mode for capturing an image under illumination by a first light source and a second observation mode for capturing an image under illumination by a second light source different from the first light source and generates an image to be displayed based on the image captured by selecting one of the observation modes; a brightness detection unit that detects brightness of the image captured in one observation mode; and a control unit that controls an exposure operation or image processing in the other observation mode performed subsequent to an observation in the one observation mode based on the brightness of the image detected by the brightness detection unit.

09-08-2011

20110273548

CAPSULE ENDOSCOPE DEVICE - A capsule endoscope device includes an illumination unit that illuminates a living tissue using at least one of a white light illumination unit and a special light illumination unit; an imaging unit that captures an image of the tissue; a transmission unit that transmits imaging information containing the image; a storage unit that stores a threshold with respect to information on a distance between the endoscope and the tissue; a detection unit that detects the information; and an output unit that compares the information with the threshold, selects an image capturing condition of a special light observation mode if the distance is not larger than the threshold, selects an image capturing condition of a normal light observation mode if the distance is larger than the threshold, and outputs the selected image capturing condition to an operation unit related to image capturing.

11-10-2011

20120197082

ROTARY SELF-PROPELLED ENDOSCOPE SYSTEM - A rotary self-propelled endoscope system includes an insertion section body, an insertion section, a drive unit, a torque detection unit, and a control unit. In a distal end portion of the insertion section body, a rigid distal end portion including an image pickup apparatus is disposed. The insertion section is rotatably fit to the outside of the insertion section body, and includes a rotary tubular member having a helical portion formed by a helical concave-convex portion. The drive unit applies the rotary tubular member with axial and rotational drive force. The torque detection unit detects torque information of the rotary tubular member. On the basis of the torque information detected by the torque detection unit, the control unit compares a present value with a preset limit value for controlling the torque of the rotary tubular member, and controls the drive unit on the basis of the comparison result.

08-02-2012

20120226092

INTRA-SUBJECT MEDICAL SYSTEM, METHOD OF OPERATING BODY-INSERTABLE APPARATUS AND OPERATIVE TREATMENT - Provided is an intra-subject medical system which includes a body-insertable device and a physical quantity generator. The body-insertable device is to be introduced into a subject, is covered by a capsule-shaped exterior member, and includes a physical quantity detecting member which has a directivity to detect a predetermined physical quantity; at least one functional member which has a necessary function for examining or treating inside the subject; and a switch control unit which controls an on/off states or operation mode of the at least one functional member when the physical quantity detecting member detects a physical quantity. The physical quantity generator has a physical quantity emitting unit which emits a temporary physical quantity inside the subject; and a physical quantity direction changing unit which changes an emission direction of the physical quantity.

09-06-2012

20130060101

CAPSULE MEDICAL DEVICE - A capsule casing of a capsule medical device has a chemical sensor inside, used for sensing operation. The chemical sensor has a recovery device which resets the chemical sensor to an initial state thereof so as to use the chemical sensor for the sensing operation a plurality of times or continuously.